New Boys & Girls Clubs of America Homework Tutorial Brings Relief to “Homework Headaches”
(ARA) - Remember what it was like to be sent home with a homework assignment even your parents couldn't help you with? As kids get older, it happens more often than you may think, but now there's a place they can turn for help.
This fall when the school bell sounds in thousands of communities across the country local Boys & Girls Clubs will offer Power Hour, an after-school homework assistance and tutorial program, sponsored by the JCPenney Afterschool Fund.
Power Hour is designed for children ages 6 to 18, offering youngsters homework assistance in a non-threatening environment. Whether in the learning center or the technology center, members spend their first hour at the Club on homework assignments.
The basic concept behind Power Hour is to help young people practice and reinforce skills and concepts learned throughout the school day. Those who consistently complete their homework develop a deeper understanding of the work and are eager to move on to more challenging opportunities.
There’s also evidence that consistent homework completion helps youngsters develop valuable organizational skills, including time management and task completion -- skills necessary for academic achievement and a foundation for future success.
One of the most important components of Power Hour is “homework helpers,” adult or teen volunteers who help youngsters successfully complete their homework assignments. A school teacher who volunteers at the Boys & Girls Club in Rio Rancho, George Fuller explains, “When the children walk in the door they know that from 4 to 5 they can do their homework. It’s at a point now where the kids expect it. If they don’t get it, we’ve done something wrong.”
Extensive research has repeatedly shown that good after-school education programs can raise math and reading performance, improve attendance, decrease involvement in crime and reduce dropout rates. Other research has also linked such programs to improved behavior at school and increased interest in learning.
“Additional research such as that provided by the U.S. Justice and Education Departments, convinced us to support Power Hour,” says Ed Solczak, Director of the JCPenney Afterschool Fund. “In Working for Children: Safe and Smart After-school Programs, experts confirmed that children who are left alone when school ends, have more difficulties with their class work than those who participate in after-school programs. We view our support of Power Hour as an important investment in the economic well being of America.”
Perhaps the words of 12-year old Yessenia Martin of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Salt Lake, sum it up best, “I do Power Hour so I can have a good future.”
For more information on Boys & Girls Clubs of America, call (800) 854-CLUB or visit the group's Web site at www.bgca.org.
Courtesy of ARA Content
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